Conservation, Management and Variation of the Cultural Heritage Sites of Jericho

This thesis explores management, conservation and valorization issues and their impacts on the safeguarding and developing of the cultural heritage of Jericho with an aim of setting up proper management, conservation, and valorisation policies for better sustainable management and conservation of the cultural heritage sites of Jericho, based on modern scientific and international standards. It examines the main jurisdiction, management, valorisation and planning frameworks that have direct or indirect impacts on the conservation and safeguarding of the cultural heritage properties of Jericho, which have strongly suffered from poor conservation, management and valorisation interventions. Their state of conservation is still very vulnerable and deteriorated because of neglect, urban expansion, outdated legislations, insufficient urban planning frameworks, random tourism infra and super-structure, and negative agricultural practises. Thence, this thesis investigates these issues trying to understand how the cultural heritage of Jericho have been conserved, managed and valorised by successive political and administrative regimes in charge of this heritage since 1920s, including the urban plans of the Jericho city and their impacts on preservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage sites, seeking to draw up a clear picture about past and present management, conservation and valorisation policies, and their influences on the local community, and related private enterprises. This thesis, therefore, comprehensively examine the conflicted relationships between safeguarding Jericho’s cultural heritage sites, and the economic developments. It attempts to come up with steadiness scientific proactive policies for appropriate management and conservation of its cultural heritage, attempting to avoid reaction and ad hoc conservation and valorisation decisions that can result in unanticipated and negative consequences in the short, mid and long-terms. Based on the value-driven management approach, fieldworks, and data analysis and results, a set of policies are envisaged for better management, safeguarding and valorisation of the cultural heritage of Jericho, trying to find sustainable solutions for various conflicted interests of concerned stakeholders, meanwhile conserving their cultural heritage values and physical attributes. Finally, these policies are designed to be one integrated entity based on conservation and valorisation principles.